Work

Glaciers and glaciation changes in the Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria): From early research initiatives to glacier preservation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The Hohe Tauern National Park (HTNP) is Austria’s largest (1,856 km²) and oldest (1981) national park with some of the highest peaks in the Eastern Alps. Some 19% of the present national park was covered by glaciers during the Little Ice Age maximum circa ad 1850. One third of this area is still covered by glaciers. This paper presents a short overview of the long glaciological research tradition and the monitoring activities on glaciers starting in 1879 and presents selected results from the HTNP. In addition, the importance of glaciers for the HTNP is discussed with special emphasis on educational trails. Some considerations on aspects of glacier protection conclude the article.

Source: eco mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research)

DOI: 10.1553/eco.mont-17-2s25

Author: Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer

Language: English

Topic: Cryospheric studies and observations

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $431

Funder: Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften